25 March 2008

From a few days ago in the USA Today, there's a surprising movement to decrease the drinking age in several states. The impulse seems to be the War (if you're old enough to fight...). In fact, Kentucky, Wisconsin and South Carolina are considering lowering the age for service personnel only. But this won't succeed anywhere.

In Scotland, some want to go in the other direction. In the US, pro/con arguments about this issue center on little other than military service and drunk driving, which says a lot about the size of our military and the quality of our public transportation. In Britain, the discussions seem mostly about "anti-social" behavior (in the US, this would mean shyness).

I'd be curious how raising the age in Scotland but not in England would play out. Young Americans have often gone to Canada to drink, although nowadays you need a passport. If this passes in Scotland, I'm opening a pub in Northern England.